AU2010101276B4

AU2010101276B4 - Electrical Connectors

Info

Publication number: AU2010101276B4
Application number: AU2010101276A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jeremy Gray
Original assignee: Assembly Electronics Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Assembly Electronics Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-11-18
Filing date: 2010-11-18
Publication date: 2015-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2018-11-18
Also published as: AU2010101276A4

Abstract

C10196i A compact connector (4.052) has a body with a forward engagement portion housing contacts (5.062, 5.064, 5.066) in a linear array. The housing is provided with an asymmetric keyway (5.086) adapted to engage with a complementary key (1.018) on a mating connector housing (1.030).

Description

C1 01 96i 1 Electrical Connectors Field of the invention [001] This invention relates to electrical connectors. Background of the invention [002] Standard electrical connectors consist of a circular plug and socket arrangement with the pin connectors and the socket connector apertures arranged in a pattern which prevents incorrect insertion of the plug connectors into the socket connectors. This arrangement is not optimized for a compact connector arrangement. [003] It is desirable to provide a more compact connector arrangement. Summary of the invention [004] The present invention provides a three pin connector arrangement including having a plug housing and a socket housing which are asymmetrically shaped to inter-engage along a connector axis, wherein the plug housing has three plug contacts each of which has a first pair of larger parallel faces and a second pair of smaller parallel faces, said larger and smaller faces being substantially perpendicular to form a substantially rectangular transverse plug contact cross-section, the plug contacts being aligned within said plug housing with all said larger faces being substantially parallel and all said smaller faces being located in either one or two substantially parallel planes, and with at least one of said plug contacts being axially staggered, and wherein the socket housing has three socket contacts which are each shaped to receive a corresponding one of said plug contacts, and said socket contacts are both aligned and axially staggered in corresponding fashion as said plug contacts. [005] Two outer contacts of the aligned contacts can have substantially identical axial positions located one to either side of a centre contact which is axially staggered relative to the outer contacts. [006] One of the asymmetrically shaped housings can be provided in an asymmetrical key and the other of the asymmetrical housings is provided with a corresponding asymmetrical keyway. [007] The plug contacts may not protrude beyond the plug housing.

C1 01 96i 2 [008] Each the housing can include a corresponding inter-engageable releasable latch member. [009] According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a connector element having contacts aligned in a compact arrangement, the connector housing including a first asymmetric feature arranged to cooperate with a cooperating second asymmetric feature to prevent incorrect contact engagement. [010] The connector can be a power cable connector. [011] The first asymmetric feature can be a key. [012] The second asymmetric feature can be a keyway. [013] The contacts can be staggered axially. [014] According to a particular embodiment of the invention, there is provided a three pin connector arrangement including a housing in which the contacts are arranged in a transverse linear layout, the housing having an asymmetric engagement feature. [015] The connector can be a plug, the plug contacts having a planar face, the planar faces of the plug contacts being parallel. [016] The connector can be a socket, the socket contacts being adapted to engage parallel plug contacts. [017] The asymmetric engagement feature can be either a key or a keyway. [018] The contacts can be staggered axially. Brief description of the drawings [019] An embodiment or embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a socket connector according to an embodiment of the invention. [021] Figure 2 is a front view of the connector of Figure 1. [022] Figure 3 is a side view of the connector of Figure 1. [023] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a plug connector according to an embodiment of the invention.

C1 01 96i 3 [024] Figure 5 is a front view of the connector of Figure 4. [025] Figure 6 is a side view of the connector of Figure 4. [026] Figure 7 is a schematic section view illustrating the axial stagger of the socket contacts according to an embodiment of the invention. [027] Figure 8 is a schematic section view illustrating the axial stagger of the plug contacts according to an embodiment of the invention. [028] Figure 9 is a perspective view of a conventional line plug. [029] Figure 10 is a perspective view of a conventional socket that receives the plug shown in Figure 9. [030] The numbering convention used in the drawings is that the digits in front of the full stop indicate the drawing number, and the digits after the full stop are the element reference numbers. Where possible, the same element reference number is used in different drawings to indicate corresponding elements. [031] The drawings are intended to illustrate the inventive features of the embodiments illustrated and are not necessarily to scale. Detailed description of the embodiment [032] The invention will be described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. [033] Figure 1 shows a Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connector socket 1.002 according to an embodiment of the invention. The socket has a body 1.004 and a connector portion 1.010. The body includes a pair of gripping recesses such as 1.006 and a connection recess 1.020 having a connection projection 1.022 and a release slot 1.024. The connector portion has three connector socket slots 1.012, 1.014, 1.016 with tapered apertures to facilitate engagement with mating plug connectors. The body has an upper section 1.032 and a lower section 1.034 with a junction line 1.030. The upper ands lower sections are separate items to enable the internal connectors to be attached. The upper and lower sections are joined by latching means (not shown) and screws such as 1.028. A cable (not shown) can be inserted through a cable aperture (not shown) at the rear 1.026 of the socket. The body 1.004 forms a step 1.008 at the junction with the connector portion 1.010. [034] A locating key 1.028 projects from the underside of the connector portion.

C1 01 96i 4 [035] Figure 2 shows a front on view of the socket of Figure 1. The connector slots such as 2.012, 2.016 provide access for a mating plug connector to internal spring loaded socket contacts. The locating key is offset to the side thus. [036] Also visible is a key protector projection 2.036 which, in use conforms to the outer wall of a keyway on a mating plug. The key protector projection 3.036 is seen in side elevation in Figure 3. [037] Figure 4 shows a connector plug 4.052 according to an embodiment of the invention. The plug has a body 4.054 and a front connector portion 4.060. The body has a pair of gripping recess of which only one, 4.056, is visible. A cable can be connected to the plug contacts through a cable aperture at the rear 4.76. [038] The connector portion is hollow with a profile adapted to fit over the connector portion 1.010 of the socket. The forward end of the connector portion 4.060 carries a latching member 4.070 having a latch aperture 4.072 adapted to engage the latch projection 1.022 of the socket. [039] The plug also has a longitudinal separation line 4.080 separating the upper portion 4.060 and lower portion 4.062 fastened by screws such as 4.078 at one end of the body in cooperation with internal engagement means (not shown). [040] The keyway 4.068 is contained in an elongate projecting rib 4.086. The keyway has a complementary offset in relation to the key 1.018 of the socket and is adapted to receive the key. [041] Figure 5 shows a front view of the plug. The plug connectors 5.062, 5.064, 5.066 are of a substantially rectangular shape and are aligned in parallel. The offset of the key 5.086 ensures that the plug cannot be engaged with the socket other than with the correct contact alignment of the contacts of the plug and socket. [042] Figure 6 is a side view of the plug. The latching member 6.070 projects beyond the connector housing 6.060. The keyway housing 6.086 extends for a sufficient length to accommodate the key when the plug and socket are engaged. [043] Figure 7 is a schematic section illustration showing a staggered contact arrangement of the socket to allow a compact overall dimension for the connectors. The socket connector slots 7.012, 7.014, 7.016, open at the front of the socket housing. However, the socket contacts 7.092, 7.094, 7.096 are set back from the front of the socket. In addition, the socket contacts 7.092, 7.094, 7.096 are staggered longitudinally. The stagger allows a more compact arrangement of the C1 01 96i 5 contacts in a first transverse dimension referred to the direction of connection. Similarly, because the contacts are arranged in-line, the second transverse dimension is minimized. [044] Figure 8 shows a corresponding section view of the plug. The plug connectors 8.062, 8.064, 8.066 are staggered in a longitudinal manner to complement the stagger of the socket contacts. Thus, the socket contact 7.094 is the most forward of the socket contacts, and the mating plug contact 8.064 is the most rearward plug contact. [045] Figure 7 illustrates the axial stagger of the socket contacts 7.092, 7.094, 7.096 according to an embodiment of the invention. The contact 7.094 is located towards the front of the socket connector portion while the contacts 7.092, 7.096 are located towards the rear of the contact portion of the socket. [046] Figure 8 illustrates a complementary stagger arrangement of the plug contacts, in which the 8.064 is located towards the rear of the contact portion of the plug, while the contacts 8.062, 8.066 are located towards the front of the plug contact portion. The leading edges of the plug contacts are axially displaced by an equal and opposite distance to the leading edges of the corresponding socket contacts so that each pair of contacts can connect at the same time, Of course, where it is desired to have a sequential arrangement where one pair of contacts engages before the others and disengages after the others, the positions of the contacts can be adjusted accordingly. [047] The axial stagger of the contacts allows for a more compact assembly. [048] Figure 9 illustrates a conventional line plug 9.100 which has a body 9.102 and three contacts 9.104, 9.106, 9.108 arranged in a triangular configuration, with the contacts 9.104, 9.106 arranged with their major planes inclined to one another and to the plane of contact 9.108. [049] The conventional socket is shown in Figure 10, in which the socket contact slots 10.114, 10.116, 10.118 are arranged to receive the plug contacts. [050] While this arrangement is proof against mis-connection, it is not a compact arrangement. [051] In this specification, reference to a document, disclosure, or other publication or use is not an admission that the document, disclosure, publication or C1 01 96i 6 use forms part of the common general knowledge of the skilled worker in the field of this invention at the priority date of this specification, unless otherwise stated. [052] In this specification, terms indicating orientation or direction, such as "up", "down", "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" "upright", "transverse" etc. are not intended to be absolute terms unless the context requires or indicates otherwise. [053] Where ever it is used, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of "consisting only of". A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear. [054] It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention. [055] While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments and examples are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all modifications which would be obvious to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A three pin connector arrangement including having a plug housing and a socket housing which are asymmetrically shaped to inter-engage along a connector axis, wherein the plug housing has three plug contacts each of which has a first pair of larger parallel faces and a second pair of smaller parallel faces, said larger and smaller faces being substantially perpendicular to form a substantially rectangular transverse plug contact cross-section, the plug contacts being aligned within said plug housing with all said larger faces being substantially parallel and all said smaller faces being located in either one or two substantially parallel planes, and with at least one of said plug contacts being axially staggered, and wherein the socket housing has three socket contacts which are each shaped to receive a corresponding one of said plug contacts, and said socket contacts are both aligned and axially staggered in corresponding fashion as said plug contacts.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein two outer contacts of said aligned contacts have substantially identical axial positions located one to either side of a centre contact which is axially staggered relative to said outer contacts.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein one of said asymmetrically shaped housings is provided in an asymmetrical key and the other of said asymmetrical housings is provided with a corresponding asymmetrical keyway.

4. The arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said plug contacts do not protrude beyond said plug housing.

5. The arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein each said housing includes a corresponding inter-engageable releasable latch member.